GENESIS LESSON 31



     Genesis 21:1 "And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the
LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken."
     Genesis 21:2 "For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his
old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him."

     God's word is true. He never fails to do what He has promised to
do. He had promised Sarah and Abraham a son.

     Genesis 21:3 "And Abraham called the name of his son that was
born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac."

     This son, Isaac, was the son of promise, the son of the spirit, not
the son of flesh, like his half-brother, Ishmael. "Isaac" means laughter.
This was the son through whom the promises to Abraham would be
fulfilled.

     Genesis 21:4 "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight
days old, as God had commanded him."

     The blood covenant that Abraham made with God, he fulfilled in his
son, Isaac, as God had commanded, when the child was eight days old.
"Eight" means new beginnings.

     Genesis 21:5 "And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son
Isaac was born unto him."

     In the flesh, a hundred year old man could not father a child;
but in the spirit, anything is possible.

     Genesis 21:6  "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, [so
that] all that hear will laugh with me."

     As I said, Isaac means laughter. His mother was rejoicing, because
she had been blessed by God, and had this baby in her old age. This had
taken her reproach away. Hebrew women were looked down upon, if they
didn't have children. Her friends were rejoicing with her.

     Genesis 21:7 "And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham,
that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born [him] a
son in his old age."

     Abraham had undoubtedly been embarrassed in front of his friends
that he and Sarah had no children. No one believed he would ever have
a child by Sarah. In fact, they did not believe themselves, until God
sent them hope and a promise. She could hardly believe it herself, that 
she had given Abraham a son.

     Genesis 21:8 "And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham
made a great feast the [same] day that Isaac was weaned."

     A little boy cannot get too far away from mother, until he is
weaned. Now, Abraham would be able to be with his son. This was a very
special time in this very special little boy's life. This was reason
for celebration with Abraham. For a man of this age to have a child,
would make the child everything in the father's eyes.

     Genesis 21:9  "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which
she had born unto Abraham, mocking."
     Genesis 21:10 "Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this
bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir
with my son, [even] with Isaac."

     Sarah did not care for this teenage son of the slave girl (and
especially his making fun of her beloved Isaac). Jealousy arose.
Ishmael was surely jealous, because Abraham was giving too much
attention to Isaac. He had all of Abraham's attention for so long.
This new baby had taken his place with his father. Sarah was jealous,
as well. She wanted to make sure that her son inherited everything
Abraham had. Her request to Abraham was to throw them out.

     Genesis 21:11 "And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight
because of his son."

     Abraham loved Ishmael. Ishmael was the only son Abraham had for
all these years. To just turn his own flesh and blood out was very
hurtful to him.

     Genesis 21:12  "And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous
in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all
that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac
shall thy seed be called."
     Genesis 21:13 "And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a
nation, because he [is] thy seed."

     God, in essence, was saying to Abraham, you and Sarah schemed and
created a problem with this boy that was not part of my plan for you.
The blessings that I (God) promised you are through the spirit, not
through the flesh. God would bless Ishmael, just because he belonged to
Abraham, but the real blessing was to come through Isaac and his
ancestors. Isaac would be known as the son of promise. Through him
shall all the nations be blessed. God told Abraham to do what your
wife asked, He would take care of Ishmael, wherever he was.

     Genesis 21:14 "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took
bread, and a bottle of water, and gave [it] unto Hagar, putting [it]
on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed,
and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba."

     This had to be hard for Abraham to do, but he had the promise of
God that He would take care of the child. Hagar was responsible for
Ishmael now (he was on her shoulder he was her responsibility).

     Genesis 21:15 "And the water was spent in the bottle, and she
cast the child under one of the shrubs."
     Genesis 21:16 "And she went, and sat her down over against [him]
a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the
death of the child. And she sat over against [him], and lift up her
voice, and wept."

     Any mother would be disturbed to be cast out with no provisions,
and to watch her only child die. She could not bear to watch him
starve for water and food. She moved away from him, but not so far
that she could not run to him, if he cried out. She cried for help.
not for herself, but for her son.

     Genesis 21:17 "And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel
of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth
thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where
he [is]."

     This is saying, we never wander so far away from God that He will
not hear our cry for help. He, too, heard the lad. The angel
(ministering spirit) called to Hagar in her distress, and told her not
to fear. God had sent help.

     Genesis 21:18 "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine
hand; for I will make him a great nation."
     Genesis 21:19 "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of
water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the
lad drink."

     God encouraged Hagar, that He would take care of her and Ishmael.
He repeated the blessing on Ishmael. The difference in Ishmael's
blessing was that his was a fleshly, worldly, blessing. Isaac's was a
spiritual blessing. She immediately saw a well of water.

     Genesis 21:20 "And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt
in the wilderness, and became an archer."

     Ishmael was a teenager, when he first came to the wilderness. God
blessed him and provided for his needs. He, probably, hunted for a
living.

     Genesis 21:21 "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his
mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt."

     Egypt has been worldly throughout the Bible. So he took a worldly
wife. His ancestors were the modern Abrabs.

     Genesis 21:22  "And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech
and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying,
God [is] with thee in all that thou doest:"
     Genesis 21:23 "Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou
wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son:
[but] according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt
do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned."

     Abimelech had lived near Abraham, and had observed that God had
abundantly blessed him. Abimelech wanted to make a treaty of peace with
Abraham reaching three generations. Abimelech reminded Abraham that he
had been good to him.

     Genesis 21:24 "And Abraham said, I will swear."
     Genesis 21:25 "And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well
of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away."
     Genesis 21:26 "And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this
thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I [of it], but to
     day."

     Abraham agreed to make the peace treaty with Abimelech. Abraham
brought up a very sore subject about a well that Abimelech's men had
taken violently. Abimelech said I only found out about this today;
I didn't know about this. He was trying hard to agree with Abraham.

     Genesis 21:27 "And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them
unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant."
     Genesis 21:28 "And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by
themselves."
     Genesis 21:29 "And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What [mean] these
seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?"
     Genesis 21:30 "And he said, For [these] seven ewe lambs shalt
thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have
digged this well."

     A well was very valuable in this dry land. God had shown His
people where to dig wells. This particular well was in dispute.
Abraham gave the seven ewe lambs to prove the well belonged to him.
They sealed the agreement between them with the gift of animals.

     Genesis 21:31 "Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because
there they sware both of them."
     Genesis 21:32 "Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then
Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they
returned into the land of the Philistines."

     They both agreed to the treaty at Beersheba. Abimelech and his
chief captain, Phicol, returned home confident in the treaty. 
"Beersheba" means well of the oath.

     Genesis 21:33  "And [Abraham] planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and
called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God."
     Genesis 21:34 "And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land
many days."

     This land had not yet been received by Abraham as the land of
promise. It would be the Holy Land of promise, when Moses led the
ancestors of Abraham from Egypt. and God fulfilled His promise.

     Abraham was a man after God's own heart. He prayed to God, very
often.

     Read chapter 22 of Genesis for the next lesson.
                             Questions 31


1.  Sarah bare Abraham a son in his ________ _________.
2.  Sarah and Abraham named their son what?
3.  What does the name mean?
4.  Which son would the spiritual promises come through?
5.  How old was Isaac, When he was circumcised?
6.  "Eight" means what?
7.  How old was Abraham, when Isaac was born?
8.  Why did Sarah laugh?
9.  Why was Abraham embarrassed?
10. When Isaac was weaned, what did Abraham do?
11. What did Sarah see Ishmael doing?
12. What did Sarah ask Abraham to do with Hagar and Ishmael?
13. Whose side did God take?
14. Why would God make a nation of Ishmael?
15. What did Abraham give Hagar, when he sent her away?
16. Why did Hagar sit a good way away from Ishmael?
17. Whose cries did God hear?
18. Who came to Hagar?
19. When Hagar's eyes were opened, what did she see?
20. What was the difference in Isaac's blessing and Ishmael's blessing?
21. What trade did Ishmael take up?
22. What was the name of the place where he lived?
23. The peace treaty from Abraham to Abimelech was to be good for how
    many generations?
24. Why did Abimelech want a treaty?
25. What was the controversy over the well?
26. How was it settled?
27. What was the name of Abimelech's captain?
28. What does "Beersheba" mean?

                                 Notes